Surgical drapes are frequently used during surgical procedures to protect an area around a surgical procedure from infection. A surgical drape is typically positioned adjacent to and around an area of a surgical procedure to create a barrier between the surgical site and surrounding tissue and to also control any fluid that results from the surgical procedure.
However, when drapes are used in procedures involving a patient's face, such as ophthalmic procedures, the drape often creates a feeling of claustrophobia and may make breathing difficult because the drape is positioned against the nose, mouth, and other areas of a patient's face during a procedure. This may be particularly problematic when a patient is awake and alert during a procedure.
While attempts have been made to create a drape support that maintains a drape above a patient's face, these supports are typically complex. Further, previous attempts at creating a drape support are not configured to maximize clearance between a patient's mouth and a drape depending on a side of the patient's face being operated on.
What is needed, therefore, is a surgical drape support configured to support a drape above a patient's face and maximize room between the drape and the patient's face based on a side of the patient's face undergoing a surgical procedure.